Everyday life in Berlin 1937. Scenes from everyday life in Berlin in Nazi Germany. Kurfürstendamm, city centre, Neue Wache. Film length 2:03. A licence fee of 4 x 30 seconds is charged to purchase a licence for the complete contribution.
Berlin 1937
Description
Berlin 1937
Berlin 1937
Historical background
Scenes from everyday life in Berlin during National Socialism are characterised by the political and social atmosphere of the time.
The Kurfürstendamm was known for its hustle and bustle, its shops, cafés and theatres. During the National Socialist era, propaganda was carried out here, with Hitler devotional objects in kiosks, swastika flags and posters. Despite the political climate, the normal everyday life of Berliners on the Ku’damm consisted of shopping, socialising and going about their daily routine, albeit under the watchful eye of the regime.
Swastika flags flew in prominent places and large rallies and marches organised by the regime took place regularly. Berliners went about their daily lives in this atmosphere.
The Neue Wache, originally built as a guardhouse for the Prussian royal palace, was used as a memorial to the fallen soldiers of the First World War. For ordinary citizens, a visit to the Neue Wache was part of state-organised events or commemorations that reinforced the regime’s narrative of heroism and a sense of duty.
Overall, everyday life in Berlin during the National Socialist era was characterised by a combination of propaganda and surveillance as well as the adaptation of ordinary people to a totalitarian society.
